by Martha Carr
“You only wanted to get him to trust you long enough to come out to the field. You still haven’t thought past today’s training. If you want him to work with you, then you need a relationship. That will not happen just by talking to him once.”
“Relationship, right.” Her ears felt like they were warming. “How many steps are there to this relationship thing.”
“Hard to say.” He loosened his grip on her shoulders and she took a step backward, rubbing her forehead and taking a deep breath, then letting it out. “Fine. I’m not going to train him today. What am I supposed to do, then? You’re the expert. What’s the best way to build rapport with a dragon? Get him a beer?”
“Stay here.” William jogged towards the barn.
While she waited, Raven approached the dragon. Warm steam rushed out of his nostrils as his breath heaved, blowing across the skin along her arms.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
Raven cocked her head to the side. “Tell me a story about my mother.” There’s more than one way to get to know a dragon.
Leander opened an eye. “Sarah? She had a true heart, and she let it lead her. I see flashes of that in you. It made her a great warrior. There are stories of her running toward a battle when others were running away. More than one battle was won because of your mother.”
“I wear her pin.” She tapped it.
“You are part of a great legacy. Treat it with care.”
Raven sat down next to his head. “Does it bother you, being alone all the time?” Raven glanced across the ranch at the dragons hanging out on the pasture. “If you just cooperated with trainers, you could be a part of a clan. Have a little camaraderie and a sense of belonging. Maybe even see your mother. Don’t you miss that?”
Leander yawned. “Not if it means I have to follow a trainer’s orders all the time. Maybe the other dragons are okay with it. I’m not. If that means I have to hang out by myself, then fine. I have my pride.”
“Hmm, pride’s gotten me bounced against a few walls.” She folded her hands behind her head and laid on the dirt next to him. “Seems like a weird sacrifice to make. You’re giving up a whole lot just so you aren’t being told what to do. If you hate trainers so much, why are you cooperating with me?”
Leander ignored her and closed his eye again, basking in the sun.
William approached with a saddle in his hands. Raven stood up and brushed off her pants. “Didn’t I almost die trying to saddle him?”
“Just trust me. Take him out. Away from here.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere. Just be sure to bring him back.” He winked at her. “Have some fun together. Pretend you’re making a new friend, that’s all.”
Raven stared at the large saddle, shaking her head. “No, you don’t just trust me with a wild dragon like this. I’ve never ridden on my own before. This is a death sentence.”
William pointed to the dozing beast. “That right there is all I need to see. You still don’t get how unbelievable this is. If he listened to you enough to come out here, he will not do anything to hurt you. Just remember how I steered Teo and stay close to the ground. Let Leander do most of the flying. It’ll work.”
He gave her a wave and left her standing there dumbfounded with the saddle.
Gripping the worn leather handles on the side of the saddle, she picked it up and leaned back to balance it. She stepped toward the sleeping dragon and cleared her throat. “You, uh, you want to go for a ride?” She extended her leg and nudged him in his massive spiny back with her toe.
Leander rolled over and opened his eyes. “A ride?”
“Yeah. A ride.” She held up the saddle. “I just need to put this on you, and we can fly out for a while.”
He lowered his eyes. “Where do I have to take you?”
“It’s got nothing to do with that. You’re not taking me anywhere in particular. I just thought it would be fun to go for a ride. You and me.”
The beast stared at her. “Why?”
She dropped the saddle in the dirt. A cloud of dust puffed up between the two of them. “Maybe I’m tired of arguing with you. You haven’t gone for a flight for a very long time. No tricks. I just want to fly with you.”
A loud mosquito buzzed around Leander’s nose. He swatted at it with his meaty paw, sending it off-course. “I could buck you off hundreds of feet in the air. Even thousands of feet in the air. Then I could fly away, free.”
The thought made Raven shudder. She was sure there was a spell to help her float to the ground, but she didn’t know it. If the dragon decided to buck her off, she would be dead. “I guess I have to trust you, don’t I?”
“I suppose you do.” The mosquito returned, but Leander’s swatting made little difference. It buzzed around his nose until he snorted and shot out a small puff of fire, torching the mosquito to a crisp. “Okay.”
He rolled to his feet, exposing his back to her.
Raven grabbed the saddle with both hands, not breaking her stride as she walked to Leander. She slung it onto his back and pulled the straps around his side and neck. He lifted his belly and she buckled the straps, putting her hand between to make sure it was the right fit. “This is what it’s like to saddle a dragon when they’re not trying to kill you.”
Leander smirked. “I don’t try to kill anything. If I’d wanted to kill you, I would have.”
“Ready?”
Leander snorted and nodded his great head, his ears twitching in every direction.
Before Raven could climb onto his saddle, a shadow passed over the two of them. They looked up and saw Teo soaring majestically over their heads, circling to come in for a landing beside Leander, William perched on his back. “Ahoy! Mind if we tag along?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Change your mind about trusting me?”
William laughed. “It’s a beautiful day. Teo and I want to go for a ride, too.”
Raven patted Leander on the back. “It’s your call. You’re in control here.”
The dragon cast a glare at William. “I won’t take orders from you.”
William raised both palms in defense. “I just thought you could use some company. Neither of you have flown very far by yourselves, if at all. I can act as navigator.”
“Fine. Hop on, Raven. Let’s take to the sky.”
Raven lifted herself onto the dragon’s back, shoving her feet into the stirrups and taking the reins in her hands. She smiled at William, her heart beating faster. “All right, Leander, I’m on. Let’s touch a few clouds. I have nothing else in mind.”
“You got it.” The dragon extended his long, majestic wings. The red and orange scales down his body flashed in the sunshine.
Raven could feel all of Leander’s muscles activating and creaking, as though they were stretching for the first time. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“Too long. Hang on tight.” He flapped his wings slowly at first, jumping off the ground and tilting them to catch the wind. They took off, leaving the ground behind as the two of them gained altitude. Right behind them, William and Teo hustled to keep up.
“I thought I said, stay low!” William yelled from behind them.
Raven sucked in gulps of air, her eyes watering as she held on to the horn. She had never felt this way before.
Teo flapped his wings. “He’s fast!”
William’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the handles of the saddle. “He has a lot of energy saved up!”
Soon, the two dragons were side by side, Teo following Leander’s lead. Leander rushed forward, closing his eyes and sniffing the cool, fresh air as it blew past his face.
Raven relaxed. He will take care of me. I can feel it. She let out a laugh and then howled, throwing back her head.
The dragon was enjoying the view as much as the rest of them. He soared, not traveling in any particular direction. He savored the ability to fly.
From their vantage point, they cou
ld see all the towns in the kingdom of Lomberdoon. The city of Brighton gave way to the sweeping pastures of Nadine. The mountains of Jared were not far off, and from her perch, Raven could see the sparkling water of the ocean.
Raven drank in the view, giggling as she held on tight, adjusting the reins in her hands. The kingdom looks so small and beautiful from up here. She tugged gently on the reins to steer right and get closer to the ocean, but Leander lurched left, the wings tilting and bending.
Soon, they were soaring over the outlands among the farthest satellite ranches of the kingdom. He made a tight turn and circled toward the ground.
She tugged on his reins. “I know I said I wouldn’t give you orders, but no landing out here! It’s too dangerous!”
The dragon didn’t reply, flying over a ranch, where white smoke billowed from the chimney of a farmer’s house.
Raven shook her head at the sight. Why would you even bother setting up a ranch out here? “Hey, can we head farther west?”
“Toward the city?” Leander shook his head. “I’m just getting started.”
“No, not back to the ranch. There’s another ranch I want to visit, but it’s far out. Are you up for an adventure?”
“Just like your mother. Let’s do it.” The dragon glided to his right, his wings stretched out as he turned around with Teo and William on their tail.
William breathed a sigh of relief. “Back to ranch,” he called. “Good idea!”
They were nearing the great wall when Raven spotted a fallen tree. It was barren of all leaves, and some of the roots still clung to the dirt, as if it died trying to claw its way back upright. It gave her an idea.
“Do me a favor. Fly down close to that tree, and when I say, ‘Go,’ shoot out a little fire.”
She was pushing the rules, but Leander was curious to find out what she had in mind. “You want me to burn the tree? That will take more than a little fire.”
“I didn’t say that. Just shoot out a little. I’ll take it from there. Trust me.”
Leander dove close to the fallen tree. Raven yelled, “Go!” and the beast unleashed a small fireball from his mouth.
Before it could disperse, Raven locked onto it. “Sequantur flamma.” The flames swelled into a massive fireball and rocketed across the sky, singeing some of the roots before it crashed into the dirt behind the tree.
“Damn! I was aiming for the trunk.” Raven snapped her fingers. “Okay, let’s keep flying.”
Leander looked back at the smoke coming off the ground. “Well done, mage in training. Well done.”
“I only burned roots.”
“Yes, but you’re gaining skill and patience.”
From behind them, William smiled as they flew over the wall and back into Brighton territory.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The dragons flew over the city, light shining through their wings. Raven marveled at how small everyone looked as they cut through a cloud and everything disappeared. She let out a startled laugh and gripped the horn tighter. Her red braid flowed out behind her.
Leander turned his head and looked back at her. “Are you all right?”
“Never better!” she shouted. “WOOOHOOOOOO!” She held her fist in the air, yelling as loud as she could as they emerged from the clouds and soared over the city she had known all her life.
They passed familiar territory over the pennants of Fowler Academy. The grounds were empty except for sheep grazing in the back field. Raven gasped and looked down as she spotted a familiar figure walking the brick pathway before the main buildings. “Headmaster Flynn!” she yelled, putting a hand by her mouth, making the dragon laugh as his wings lifted and pushed down against the wind, adjusting to the airflow.
All too soon, the dense forest behind the academy was below them, and Raven watched as a flock of birds took off underneath them and flew over the treetops. “We are so high!” She leaned into the saddle, beaming as Teo came up alongside.
William had the reins in his hands and was directing the dragon to get close enough to be heard without knocking wings. “Where are you headed? I thought we agreed not to go too high.”
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Raven leaned back and let out another whoop as William laughed. She nudged with her heels, letting Leander take the lead. She wasn’t ready to tell him her revised plan. Perfect opportunity to check something out. Just in case.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the orb, holding it tight. The pink tint had spread in streaks almost to the top. I don’t know what is coming, but something is getting closer.
Raven scanned the ground, trying to remember the parchment map that hung on their kitchen wall—in particular, the satellite ranches in the kingdom’s far reaches.
The Jared mountains were to the northeast of Farley. The land began to look familiar as she pointed toward the ground. “Leander, dip down a little lower. We’re looking for an abandoned satellite ranch.”
Without questioning, Leander descended, flying between the clouds. William laughed, watching them work together. “He’s taking orders.”
They glided along at a lower altitude, and Raven leaned over to see if she could spot the empty ranch. She waved at nervous ranch hands, who stopped in the middle of their workday to watch the skies, uneasy to see dragons soaring overhead.
“There! That has to be it.” She pointed to a small patch of land with several buildings on it. Nobody was out in the fields, and tools were lying in the grass. “Take me down there.”
Leander complied, landing at the entrance to the ranch. “You had to land on this side of the gate?”
The dragon shrugged a large, scaly shoulder. “Not your property.”
Teo and William were not far behind and touched down nearby.
Raven climbed off Leander and looked up at the sign hanging over the closed gate. “The Smithey Cattle Ranch. This has to be it.”
William climbed off Teo, glancing through the gate, confused. “You know someone here?”
“No, but this is that satellite ranch I heard about. You know, the one where everybody disappeared?”
“Not that again. Wasn’t it a raving homeless man who mentioned that?”
“A veteran. It was a war veteran named Peter.” Before she could say anything else, Leander shivered, his nose twitching.
“You okay?” Raven put her hand on his neck to calm him.
He grunted. “I don’t know. Something is wrong. We’re not alone.”
She placed her hands on his snout and looked him in the eye. “It’s all right. We won’t be here long.”
William watched, fascinated at how the dragon was letting her touch him without resistance. “You’re calming him down.”
Leander shook her hands off his snout and began pawing at the ground with his massive claws, digging deeper with each scratch. He blew small flames out of his nose, causing Raven to step back.
“Nope, spoke too soon.” William unhooked a short leash from the back of Teo’s saddle and tied him to the gate of the ranch. “I’m feeling a little spooked myself.” He scanned in all directions while he tied off the leash.
Leander pawed the ground, his snout high in the air, sniffing in all directions, his ears turning. He shook his head, opening his mouth and blowing out small puffs of fire.
Dodging the flames, Raven grabbed Leander by the snout, staring into his eyes. “Guard this place, okay? I’m counting on you to have my back. We’re going to go in and check it out for a minute.”
William’s eyes widened. “We are?”
“Well, I am. You can wait here if you want, but I’m going in.” She turned to the dragon. “Stay calm. Focus on the sunshine. Talk to Teo if you want. Just keep it under control for a few minutes, and we’ll be back.” She licked her lips and stood at the gate, peering at the ranch.
“It looks like everyone dropped what they were doing and just disappeared,” said William, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. “I think we should go. This is a bad idea.”
Raven was already climbing the closed gate. “No, I want to see what’s going on in here.” She dropped on the other side. “You going to come or what?”
William pressed his lips together and looked at Teo, who shrugged. “As she wishes.”
Shaking his head, William grabbed the bars of the gate and climbed. “What the hell am I thinking? Fly low, I said. Sure, she said.”
Once on the other side, Raven rushed toward the house in the distance.
“Why are we running?” William jogged, keeping just a few yards behind her.
Raven got to the house and ran up the steps onto the porch, pushing her way into the house. “Hello? Anyone home?” The place was quiet, except for a hawk screeching overhead.
William followed her. “This place is creeping me out.”
“Come in here and look at this!” Raven called from the kitchen. He walked into the room and saw a kitchen table with several plates and forks dropped nearby. Moldy food was still clinging to them, and a dirty wooden spoon stuck to the counter next to an iron pot. The food had burned to ashes long ago. “The place looks like they got up and left in the middle of whatever they were doing. Like they ran.”
“I have such a bad feeling about this.” William shivered. “Let’s get out of here.”
Raven peeped into a bedroom at an unmade bed and a book resting open on top of the sheets. She walked outside again and stood on the front porch.
Her eyes widened, and she banged on the front door. “William!” She crouched at the edge of the porch and ran her fingers along three deep scratches carved into the wood, each three inches long. They were jagged, as though someone had gouged them in.
William came out and stood next to her.
“What could have caused that?” asked Raven, squinting at him.
She stood and gazed across the ranch to see flames shooting up in the air and the sign above the gate swaying back and forth. “Leander’s having trouble. We can’t stay much longer.”
William took the few steps at a run, scanning the property for anything moving. “We have to get out of here. I don’t like this at all.”
“Hang on. Let’s check out the barn. If any cattle are left, no one would have fed them in days.”